DOCSLIB.ORG

The Open University in Scotland's Outcome Agreement with the Scottish Funding Council 2020-2023

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

THE OPEN UNIVERSITY IN SCOTLAND’S OUTCOME AGREEMENT WITH THE SCOTTISH FUNDING COUNCIL 2020-2023 Contents The Open University ...............................................................................................1 Geographical reach .....................................................................................................1 Our curriculum .............................................................................................................2 Our staff .............................................................................................................................3 Equality Impact Assessment ...............................................................................3 UK departure from the European Union ................................................... 4 The Learner ............................................................................................................... 5 Commission on Widening Access Implementation ...........................5 Mental health and well-being ............................................................................6 Student safety ...............................................................................................................7 Gender ...............................................................................................................................7 Student voice .................................................................................................................9 Widening Access and Retention Fund .......................................................9 Working with colleges (Articulation) .............................................................9 Equality and diversity ..............................................................................................11 Students in secure environments ..................................................................11 School engagement................................................................................................12 Students from care experienced backgrounds ................................... 13 Carers, veterans and estranged students ................................................ 13 Health related outcomes .....................................................................................14 The System ..............................................................................................................15 Skills alignment .......................................................................................................... 15 Early learning childcare ........................................................................................16 Graduate destinations ..........................................................................................17 Languages .....................................................................................................................18 Climate change emergency ..............................................................................18 Research And Innovation ...................................................................................19 Research ..........................................................................................................................19 Effective knowledge exchange and innovation ...................................19 Data Table ................................................................................................................21 THE OPEN UNIVERSITY OPEN TO PEOPLE, PLACES, METHODS, AND IDEAS 1. Social justice and equality of opportunity are at the heart of everything The Open University does. Widening access to higher education is the ambition on which the University was founded. The Open University is committed to extending opportunities for educational success to all who wish to realise their ambitions and fulfil their potential. 2. The Open University has always had an open entry policy whereby our students can study with us at undergraduate level with no requirement for previous qualifications.The Open University in Scotland works with the Commissioner for Fair Access to Higher Education and plays an essential part in developing a national framework for access. 3. The flexibility of part-time study allows students to work and learn at the same time with most of our students studying to improve their careers. Of our 17,000 students in Scotland, 75% are in full or part-time employment. Most of our students are mature learners with the median age of our undergraduate entrants at 27. Geographical reach 4. The Open University (OU) is proud to be the only university operating across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We are equally proud to bring significant benefits to Scotland, derived from being part of the UK’s largest higher education institution. The teaching of OU students resident in Scotland is funded by the Scottish Funding Council. 5. In Scotland, The Open University reaches across the entire country, giving us an unparalleled ability to undertake nationwide developments and support the Scottish Government’s Strategic Objectives. 6. Our students are not required to attend a campus and can study with us wherever they might live, with access to our world-class online library and support services. This is of particular benefit to the 21% of our undergraduate entrants who live in remote and rural parts of Scotland, and who would otherwise have limited options to access higher education. 7. The Open University works closely with partners across the whole of Scotland. We collaborate with employers, trade unions, public sector bodies, institutes, private, third sector and community organisations, universities, colleges and schools. By continuing to develop such strategic partnerships, we will enhance our position as the leading provider of flexible learning and encourage more people to access higher education. 1 8. OU students are not just in Scotland: we have over 168,000 students across the UK, throughout Europe and worldwide, including those studying with us through our partnerships and accredited institutions. The Open University delivers development programmes in partnership with governments, NGOs, funding institutions and local partners. Our programmes in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia address areas such as front-line health services, teacher education and English language teaching. The Scottish Government currently funds the Zambian Education School- based Training (ZEST) project, enabling the OU to work with World Vision Zambia to develop and roll out a high quality, school-based, professional development programme which will reach up to 4,000 primary school teachers and leaders across Zambia’s Central Province. The project began in October 2017 and will run to 2022. 9. The Open University is also accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). MSCHE is an institutional accrediting agency recognised by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). It defines, maintains, and promotes educational excellence across institutions with diverse missions, student populations, and resources. Our curriculum 10. Our qualifications are fully aligned with the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) and students can study for these as well as individual, credit-based modules on a standalone basis. 11. We offer a wide range of qualifications, including the uniquely flexible suite of Open qualifications: the Open CertHE, Open DipHE and BA/BSc Open, which allow students to tailor a qualification around their interests and career needs. 12. The development of our modules is a uniquely collaborative process delivered by multi-disciplinary course teams. These teams include: OU academic staff working in partnership with colleagues from other educational institutions; educational technologists and media specialists contributing pedagogic and technical expertise; and external assessors to ensure academic standards are consistent with other universities. This model has helped to build the University’s reputation for pedagogical innovation, academic rigour and quality, and has been adopted by distance teaching institutions worldwide. 13. The Open University is a mass communicator of free, informal learning nationally and globally through its OpenLearn website, OpenLearn Create, iTunesU, the OU channel on YouTube, and FutureLearn - a private company jointly owned by The Open University and The SEEK Group. 14. The OpenLearn website gives the public free access to learning materials from the OU. These materials either come from our modules or are developed to support our BBC television and radio programmes, and provide expert comment on topical issues. All OpenLearn courses are also available on Google Play and Amazon for Kindle. 15. OpenLearn Create is an innovative open educational platform where individuals and organisations can publish their own open content, open courses and resources. It allows The Open University in Scotland to co-create open educational resources (OER) with partners, such as the Carers Trust and Parkinson’s UK. 16. The University’s OpenSTEM Labs provide users with access to laboratory and field investigations in a distance learning context. The OpenSTEM Labs currently have four distinct zones, three of which connect users to equipment and data via authentic, web-based interfaces: the OpenScience Laboratory, the OpenEngineering Lab, and the OpenScience Observatories. The fourth zone houses the University’s teaching labs
Recommended publications
  • Scottish Funding Council

    Scottish Funding Council

    Scottish Funding Council 12 May 2020 Claire Adamson MSP Convener Education and Skills Committee Scottish Parliament Edinburgh EH99 1SP Dear Ms Adamson EDUCATION AND SKILLS COMMITTEE INQUIRY: IMPACT OF COVID-19 Thank you for inviting the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) to contribute to the Education and Skills Committee inquiry into the impact of COVID-19 on the education sector. In advance of participating in the online evidence session on Friday 15 May, we hope that this written submission will provide helpful background and an overview of the actions that SFC has been taking during these challenging times. SFC is the national, strategic body that funds further and higher education, and research, in Scotland. Our main statutory duties and powers come from the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 2005. We have two core statutory functions: to secure the coherent provision by post-16 education bodies of high quality and fundable further and higher education; and to secure the undertaking of research. Universities, colleges and small specialist institutions that receive public funds from us must meet the terms and conditions set out in accepted offers of grant; deliver Outcome Agreements that we agree every year with funded bodies; and comply with a Financial Memorandum that covers governance and financial sustainability requirements. SFC is the main statistical authority for further education in Scotland, and collects and publishes information to evaluate progress against national and local targets. We also fulfil key advisory functions in providing information, advice and assistance to Scottish Ministers. The Covid-19 crisis presents a unique and significant external shock to universities in Scotland, with critical implications for colleges too.
  • Scottish Standing Group Membership

    Scottish Standing Group Membership

    Scottish Standing Group Scottish Standing Group Membership Members of other Name Representative Body Institution groups Higher Education Rebecca Gaukroger - Chair University of Edinburgh Practitioner Adrian Watt School Sector Alex Johnson School Sector Dunoon Grammar School Lothians Equal Access Programme for Schools and Alison Train Stakeholder Schools for Higher Education Programme Brian Patterson School Sector School Leaders Scotland Carina MacRitchie Scottish Funding Council Higher Education Carol Baverstock University of Aberdeen Practitioner Carol McDonald Education Scotland Headmasters’ and Caroline Davies School Sector Headmistresses’ Conference Scottish UCAS Group Higher Education Claire Forsman University of Edinburgh Practitioner Higher Education Claire Johnston Heriot-Watt University Practitioner Higher Education Claire Morrison Scotland’s Rural College Practitioner David Mackay The Scottish Government Higher Education The Robert Gordon Emma Corry Practitioner University Higher Education Gemma Bisset* University of St Andrews Practitioner Higher Education Liaison Grant Cullen Stakeholder Office Association Scotland Chair Jonathan Jones HE Practitioner University of Glasgow Scottish Government Julie Anderson Stakeholder Learning Directorate, Senior Phase Unit Higher Education Glasgow Caledonian Julie Fisher Practitioner University Higher Education Katy Caudrey Edinburgh Napier University Practitioner Security Marking: PUBLIC Page 1 of 3 Document Owner: Groups and Forums Administrator Last updated: 28 April 2021 Members of other
  • Students Eligible for Funding 2020-21

    Students Eligible for Funding 2020-21

    Students Eligible for Funding 2020-21 SFC Statistics Issue Date: 30 March 2021 Cover photo credit: Glasgow Caledonian University Students Eligible for Funding 2020-21 Issue date: 30 March 2021 Reference: SFC/ST/04/2021 Summary: To inform stakeholders of the enrolments of students eligible for funding at Scottish Higher Education institutions in 2020-21 FAO: Principals and directors of Scotland’s universities Further Contact: Gordon Anderson information: Job title: Senior Policy Analysis Officer Department: Policy, Insight and Analytics Tel: 0131 313 6551 Email: [email protected] This is an official statistics publication. All official statistics should comply with the UK Statistics Authority’s Code of Practice to Official Statistics, which promotes the production and dissemination of official statistics that inform decision-making. Find out more about the Code of Practice for Official Statistics at www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/code-of-practice/ Scottish Funding Council Apex 2 97 Haymarket Terrace Edinburgh EH12 5HD T 0131 313 6500 www.sfc.ac.uk Contents Executive Summary ........................................................................................................ 5 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 7 Early Statistics Return ................................................................................................. 7 Students eligible for funding in 2020-21 ...................................................................
  • MANIFESTO for CLEAN GROWTH Manifesto for Clean Growth – Clean Growth Leadership Group Manifesto for Clean Growth – Clean Growth Leadership Group CONTENTS

    MANIFESTO for CLEAN GROWTH Manifesto for Clean Growth – Clean Growth Leadership Group Manifesto for Clean Growth – Clean Growth Leadership Group CONTENTS

    MANIFESTO FOR CLEAN GROWTH Manifesto for Clean Growth – Clean Growth Leadership Group Manifesto for Clean Growth – Clean Growth Leadership Group CONTENTS 1 SUMMARY 7 INTRODUCTION LEADING THE WAY TO NET ZERO 13 INDUSTRY TRANSFORMING INDUSTRY 21 ENERGY CLEAN ENERGY INNOVATION WORLD LEADER 31 CONNECTIVITY NET ZERO DOMESTIC CONNECTIVITY 41 PLACE SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES 49 PEOPLE GREEN SKILLS REVOLUTION 59 FINANCE CLOSE THE INVESTMENT GAP 67 NATURE NATURE-RICH FUTURE THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS BP | City Building | Drax | Energy Saving Trust | Heathrow Airport | NatureScot | North Ayrshire Council Oil and Gas Technology Centre | Oil and Gas UK | Perth & Kinross Council | Scottish Enterprise | ScottishPower Scottish Water | Shell UK | University of Edinburgh | Zero Waste Scotland FIND OUT MORE Visit www.scdi.org.uk/cleangrowth | Email [email protected] | Follow us @SCDInews Join the conversation with#CleanGrowth or #NetZeroScotland Partners supported the reporting via a Clean Leadership Group and provided extensive input to shape them. However, individual recommendations cannot be attributed to any single partner. SCDI takes full responsibility for the content and recommendations of all associated reports and publications. 4 5 Manifesto for Clean Growth – Clean Growth Leadership Group SUMMARY Clean Growth Leadership Group SCDI’s Clean Growth Leadership Group brings together partners from across the public, private and third sectors to lead the way to Net Zero. We published an interim report in June, Building Scotland’s Green Recovery. Our plan for Scotland’s Green Recovery from the COVID-19 crisis featured 12 big ideas to respond to the climate emergency with the same urgency as the public health emergency. This new report builds on that work and looks beyond the immediate crisis towards the horizon of 2045 and asks: What are the Clean Growth opportunities for Scotland of the transition to Net Zero – and how can we maximise them? We have engaged with businesses, organisations, experts and stakeholders across all sectors and all geographies of the Scottish economy.
  • Main Panel C

    Main Panel C

    MAIN PANEL C Sub-panel 13: Architecture, Built Environment and Planning Sub-panel 14: Geography and Environmental Studies Sub-panel 15: Archaeology Sub-panel 16: Economics and Econometrics Sub-panel 17: Business and Management Studies Sub-panel 18: Law Sub-panel 19: Politics and International Studies Sub-panel 20: Social Work and Social Policy Sub-panel 21: Sociology Sub-panel 22: Anthropology and Development Studies Sub-panel 23: Education Sub-panel 24: Sport and Exercise Sciences, Leisure and Tourism Where required, specialist advisers have been appointed to the REF sub-panels to provide advice to the REF sub-panels on outputs in languages other than English, and / or English-language outputs in specialist areas, that the panel is otherwise unable to assess. This may include outputs containing a substantial amount of code, notation or technical terminology analogous to another language In addition to these appointments, specialist advisers will be appointed for the assessment of classified case studies and are not included in the list of appointments. Main Panel C Main Panel C Chair Professor Jane Millar University of Bath Deputy Chair Professor Graeme Barker* University of Cambridge Members Professor Robert Blackburn University of Liverpool Mr Stephen Blakeley 3B Impact From Mar 2021 Professor Felicity Callard* University of Glasgow Professor Joanne Conaghan University of Bristol Professor Nick Ellison University of York Professor Robert Hassink Kiel University Professor Kimberly Hutchings Queen Mary University of London From Jan 2021
  • Description of Higher Education in Scotland Introduction Scotland Has a Distinctive Higher Education System and Also Comparable Qualifications

    Description of Higher Education in Scotland Introduction Scotland Has a Distinctive Higher Education System and Also Comparable Qualifications

    Description of Higher Education in Scotland Introduction Scotland has a distinctive higher education system and also comparable qualifications. Pupils seeking to enter a HEI would operates under a devolved government, which includes devolved normally take a number of Highers at an appropriate stage in the responsibility for higher education. There is a separate Senior Phase (4th, 5th and 6th year) of secondary school, Description of Higher Education in England, Wales and Northern according to the requirements of their own learning journey, or at Ireland where the system is different to that of Scotland. a tertiary college. HEIs usually require 4-6 Highers for entry, but this may vary with subject. Highers are studied in considerable Scotland’s distinctive higher education system has 19 higher depth, involving coursework and final examinations. Advanced education institutions (HEIs). The 15 universities, the Open Highers have historically been taken by some pupils in S6 as a University in Scotland, a college of higher education, an art means of extending their specialisation, normally following school, and a conservatoire all receive funding for research and successful completion of a Higher in that subject. They are also for learning and teaching through the Scottish Funding Council available in some tertiary colleges. Pupils may also take a (see www.sfc.ac.uk); funding is also received from other sources. Scottish Baccalaureate in Sciences, Languages, Expressive Arts, or Social Sciences and these consist of related Highers and The HEIs are independent, self-governing bodies, active in Advanced Highers and an interdisciplinary project. Another major teaching, research and scholarship. Where HEIs are degree route into Degrees, often with full transfer of credit, is from Higher 1 awarding bodies they design the curriculum for the degrees they National Qualifications offered in tertiary colleges.
  • Scottish Student Sport Impact Assessment

    Scottish Student Sport Impact Assessment

    Scottish Student Sport Impact Assessment by Best and Randak Associates for Scottish Student Sport Scottish Funding Council sportscotland © Best and Randak Associates [email protected] October 2016 Introduction Scottish Student Sport (SSS) commissioned Best and Randak Associates to prepare an impact assessment report on behalf of the organisation and its main funding partners, sportscotland and the Scottish Funding Council. The overall objective was to undertake an impact assessment highlighting the success or otherwise over the past two years (April 2014 to mid-2016) of SSS’s current strategy in meeting its stated aims and the expectations of funding partners. The detailed aims were to critically assess: the progress of SSS against its stated aims and the conditions of investment from funding partners; the impact of its regional delivery, in terms of competitions, development, and member support; and the profile of SSS and its relationships with other agencies across education and sport. This document comprises a summary drawn together from the full Best and Randak report, to be published on the SSS website by the end of October. Methodology Following discussions with SSS, the following methods were used to obtain the information and views needed to meet the objectives of the review: 1 A trawl of published and unpublished documents from SSS itself; its members; its partners including SGBs, BUCS, sportscotland and the SFC. 2 A substantial questionnaire to sports-related staff, elected students and volunteers - gleaning 64 responses with valuable quantitative and qualitative information. 3 A short email questionnaire to a limited number of other organisations with links to SSS, resulting in five responses.
  • How Effective Is the Use of Social Media by the Top Ten Scottish Universities?

    How Effective Is the Use of Social Media by the Top Ten Scottish Universities?

    How effective is the use of social media by the top ten Scottish Universities? Effective use of social media by the top ten Scottish universities 2015 Contents I. Introduction ........................................................................................ 3 II. Methodology........................................................................................ 4 III. Universities Evaluated ....................................................................... 5 IV. Results .................................................................................................. 6 Being there ............................................................. 7 How big is your audience? .................................... 8 Are you actually doing anything? ........................ 9 How engaging are you? ....................................... 10 Top Posts .............................................................. 11 Reaching a wider audience ................................ 13 V. Conclusions ........................................................................................ 15 VI. Appendix ............................................................................................ 16 University selection ............................................. 16 A guide to our metrics ........................................ 16 VII. Florizel Media Ltd.............................................................................. 17 2 | PAGE Effective use of social media by the top ten Scottish universities 2015 Introduction Florizel Media looked
  • Broadcast Content Fund

    Broadcast Content Fund

    SCREEN FUNDING BROADCAST CONTENT FUND GUIDANCE 2018/19 Screen Scotland is the new dedicated partnership for screen in Scotland, delivering enhanced support for all aspects of Scotland’s screen sector. Screen Scotland is leading the growth of the sector through increased funding and support for film and television production, an increase in specialist staff and further investment in skills, festivals, audiences and education. Screen Scotland sits within Creative Scotland and is a partnership with Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland, Scottish Funding Council, with funding from the Scottish Government and the National Lottery. We are funding, developing and growing Scotland’s screen sector by: • Boosting production by increasing funding and support to grow the number and diversity of film and TV productions from Scotland • Creating specialist business development provision for screen businesses ensuring that advice and support is appropriate and easy to access • Improving employment opportunities in the sector through increased and co-ordinated opportunities for training and development • Developing audiences by improving access to Scottish film and TV productions at home and internationally • Growing and improving Scotland’s screen infrastructure including studio facilities • Developing Scotland’s reputation as a destination for international productions and co-productions, supported by our world-class talent, crews, facilities and unique locations. 2 | BROADCAST CONTENT FUND What is the purpose
  • International Commission for the History of Universities: Colloquium

    International Commission for the History of Universities: Colloquium

    Constructing a new university tradition: the curious emergence of "democratic intellectualism" as the distinctive mark of the Scottish universities in the 19th century Donald J. Withrington A royal commission on the Scottish universities, the first on higher education in Britain in the 19th century, was appointed in 1826 and reported in 1830. Its report provides an unparalleled critique, carefully framed and intelligently incisive, of the state of the five Scottish college- universities which had been founded in the 15th and 16th centuries. It is a good starting point for our search after the principles and ethos of "democratic intellectualism" which has been claimed as a singular, ancient and distinctively Scottish inheritance - distinctive, especially, in any comparison with Oxford or Cambridge or Trinity College, Dublin, within the United Kingdom. And the commissioners themselves, in 1826-30, were sharply and sensitively aware of the distinctiveness of what they found, and were heartily in favour of retaining it where it clearly supported the national interest. Indeed, the universities were - as they noted - above all, national assets:[1] There are few National Institutions of long-standing which have been more powerfully modified by the circumstances of the country than the Universities of Scotland; and they have undoubtedly been gradually adapted in an eminent degree to the particular demands upon them, arising from the circumstances of the people for whose benefit they were designed... So, then, the universities had "adapted in an eminent degree" and it is plain from the volumes of evidence which the commisssion took, that these adaptations had mostly taken place comparatively recently - over the two generations or so since the mid-18th century.
  • Supporting Scotland's Colleges and Universities

    Supporting Scotland's Colleges and Universities

    Supporting Scotland’s Colleges and Universities Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Further and Higher Education Sustainability Plan July 2020 Supporting Scotland’s Colleges and Universities Coronavirus (COVID-19) - Further and Higher Education Sustainability Plan Foreword Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic our colleges and universities have responded with remarkable pace and agility and I pay tribute to all staff and students for their hard work and contribution to the national effort to tackle the virus. Colleges and universities themselves are being hit hard by the consequences of the pandemic. This is of particular concern given the economic and social importance of them as educators, innovators and major employers. In both urban and rural areas they are key “anchor organisations”, as recognised by the report of the Advisory Group on Economic Recovery1. We will need our colleges and universities more than ever going forward given their essential role in Scotland’s recovery. The Scottish Funding Council’s (SFC) projections for Scottish colleges point to a loss of £12.3 million due to COVID-19 in this academic year, with the majority of colleges now forecasting deficits in Academic Year (AY) 2019-20. The impact in AY 2020-21 is expected to be even more severe. The SFC’s initial analysis is that the impact on Scottish universities in AY 2019-20 alone will be around £72 million in lost income. In AY 2020-21, an operating deficit of between £384 million and £651 million is expected, a large part of which is due to the anticipated reduction in the numbers of international students. We do not yet know to what extent these predictions will become reality but we must plan for these scenarios.
  • SUPER DTP – Year 4 Call for Phd Studentship Proposals the Scottish

    SUPER DTP – Year 4 Call for Phd Studentship Proposals the Scottish

    SUPER DTP – Year 4 Call for PhD Studentship proposals The Scottish Universities Partnership for Environmental Research Doctoral Training Partnership (SUPER DTP) is pleased to announce its third call for PhD studentship proposals. The SUPER DTP addresses an interdisciplinary "catchment to coast" research portfolio, supporting the holistic study of the ecological dynamics of systems from headland rivers and catchments through lowland regions and riparian systems to estuarine and coastal waters and marine ecosystems. The three themes under the SUPER "Catchment to Coast" umbrella are: • Environmental dynamics: hydrology, sedimentology, coastal processes, erosion control, ecosystem engineering, river ecology and flood management • Biodiversity and ecosystem function: Ecosystem services, ecology and conservation • Challenged ecosystems: climate, multiple stressors, resilience, resource management, societal well-being, legacy waste The fourth call under the SUPER DTP remains broad in scope, and we invite applications across the full SUPER remit, which embraces terrestrial, freshwater and all marine habitats. This includes, but is not limited to, studies of: ecology; biodiversity; biological invasions; ecosystem change; environmental physics and chemistry; modelling; mechanistic studies; social and economic studies; and emerging issues. We would particularly welcome applications covering: • Freshwater, terrestrial and truly-catchment wide projects • The Deep Sea • Inter- and transdisciplinary projects Non-HEI SUPER DTP Collaborating Partners